1. Field of the Invention
One or more example embodiments relate to Ethernet network, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for realizing a mobility in Ethernet network.
2. Description of Related Art
Packet-based mobile network related technologies may include, for example, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Evolved Packet Core (EPC) mobile communication network, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), an IEEE802.16e mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), an IEEE802.1 bridge network, and the like. A 3GPP EPC being the core network of a 3GPP mobile network, uses a tunneling network based on a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP), and establishes two GTP tunnels, each of which connects an eNodeB and a Serving Gateway (SGW), SGW and a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) respectively. The PGW is located at the center of the network and plays the role of the IP anchor point where all GTP tunnels are concentrated. All the traffic in 3GPP EPC should go through the PGW resulting in unnecessary heavy traffic load at the core network. As the mobile network traffic increases and the services are more sensitive to the transport delay, it is desirable to handle the local traffic in the local network without delivering into the core network.
Both the IEEE 802.11 WiFi and the IEEE802.16e mobile WiMAX may be Ethernet-based wireless Media Access Control (MAC) technologies. However, a WiFi Access Point (AP), a WiMAX Base Station (BS), and the like may operate as anchors of Internet Protocol (IP) mobility, and a network mobility is realized based on the IP mobility, and thus a mobility of an Ethernet network may not be required. When a coverage of an AP and a BS is reduced to increase a capacity per unit area, the network paths will be frequently changed due to the frequent hand-over of the mobile nodes between APs or BSs and therefore, a new mobility mechanism simpler than IP mobility may help solve this problem.
The IEEE802.1 bridge network which accommodates only the fixed terminals does not have the mobility functions. A Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) used to control a bridge node (for example, an Ethernet switch) implements only one set of protocols to support the dynamic topology change of Ethernet networks, for example, a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) or a Rapid STP (RSTP). There is no mobility management protocol for Ethernet networks.